College Days
by KidTantei
Summary: #MayMadness2014. / Shintaro's lived his college life so far peacefully by keeping mostly to himself, but when a blond freshman by the name of Kano enters the scene, Shintaro gets caught up in a whirlwind of college shenanigans in his senior year. College AU.
1. First Impression

The sacrifices I make for May Madness… /weeps. Anyway, I hope the summary doesn't make it sounds like this is gonna be a ShinKano, because **it isn't**. Just clarifying.

I don't actually know much about college or dorms; like, do they even call you a senior in your last year? Geezus. Anyway, I'll be avoiding honorifics for this, but the names will still be surname-firstname. Considering how weeaboo I am, I'll probably slip up at some point, so yeah if you notice anything wrong, feel free to complain. It'll help heaps. (:

* * *

First Impression

* * *

When Shintaro unlocks the door of his new dorm room, there's a blond boy staring at the picture frame beside his laptop on the desk Shintaro's claimed as his. His first panicked thought is how he hasn't even lasted a day of his final year, and he's already being robbed.

"What are you doing in my room?" he asks. Shintaro hears, firsthand, that his voice is panicky and squeaky, and he immediately smacks himself mentally. _Way to make a first impression, Shintaro_.

"Oh, hi!" the blond boy steps away from the desk, grinning. "I'm your freshman roomie, Kano Shuuya! I like being called Kano, though. And you are?"

"Kisaragi Shintaro," Shintaro says, and eventually adds a 'nice to meet you' once he's gotten over his thoughts of _I have a freshman for a roommate_ and _oh god how homesick will this boy be for the next few days?_ (He's heard stories from Takane, a senior who left two years ago, about her freshman roommate that wouldn't leave her alone and was a big bubble of angst and stress combined. Shintaro would be lying if he said he hasn't been put off from freshmen by that.)

"So I noticed this picture over here," Kano breaks Shintaro away from his train of thought, and the blond jerks his thumb towards Shintaro's picture frame. The one of him, his sister, their mother actually looking _healthy_, and their _father_, all in one picture. "Say, is that girl _the_ Kisaragi Momo? The really popular idol?"

"Mm," Shintaro responds. Reason number one he anticipated roommates wouldn't be a good idea: they would recognize his surname, or eventually notice his sister in the picture frame, and pester him about it. There was always the option of keeping the picture frame under lock and key, of course, but Shintaro needs a reminder of the times before his family fell apart and things fell to shit. He waits for Kano to ask to meet Momo one day, or to ask for her autograph, anything – but there's only silence. When he turns around, Kano is moving back towards his bed (though there isn't that much movement needed; the room is only about seven paces wide, including their bed space).

It unnerves Shintaro, if anything.

"You're not going to ask for her autograph," he asks, though it comes out more as a statement than a question. Kano looks back at him and smiles.

"I'm not a big fan," he says. His grin widens, not that it wasn't wide enough already, and Kano's cat-like eyes start to twinkle. "I was just curious. You guys do look alike though, just that you have a lot more eyebags."

And although Shintaro almost chokes on his spit at that, he can't help but think this freshman who calls himself Kano doesn't seem too bad.


	2. Second Move

I had fun with this chapter, not gonna lie. Games are my thing.

* * *

Second Move

* * *

Kano brings out the ultimate weapons – playing cards, as they are more commonly called – and declares a game of blackjack between him and Shintaro.

The latter has had horrible experience with blackjack, however – one involving a particular website that offered freebies if blackjack was drawn, and goodness knows how many all-nighters he pulled just to get a _wallpaper_ – and strongly refuses. Kano tries to persuade him a few more times, but when Shintaro shows no signs of budging, the blond changes his offer to a game of poker.

Shintaro has nothing against poker, as he can generally keep a pokerface, so he agrees. After playing against Kano Shuuya, however, poker became the worst game to ever exist.

He genuinely thought he would have a chance. Kano grinned _a lot_, and Shintaro thought logic applied to the boy and he would frown just as easily. But, as it turned out, Kano's grin was his weapon. It never left his face, and Shintaro had no idea what that grin _meant_.

And, just his luck, Shintaro never got anything more than three in a row. The cards were disgusting.

"Thank goodness we didn't gamble," he grumbles under his breath as Kano packs the cards away. The boy takes out a board of reversi from his (magical never-ending) bag and places it on the floor between them.

"You sure came prepared, didn't you?" Shintaro says jokingly. Kano only smiles, and the smile haunts Shintaro. He rarely lost, and here is this _freshman_ who just beat him in a card game, _smiling away_…

"Do you know how to play reversi?" Kano asks. Shintaro sucks it up and nods. He doesn't have much else to do, anyway.

Kano's smile widens and he sets the board up, pushing a few round pieces towards Shintaro. The boy leans back, and his grin when he lets Shintaro have the first move makes Shintaro wonder what tricks he has under his sleeves.

Shintaro places his white pieces strategically, aiming for the corners. Admittedly, reversi isn't the first strategy game he would think of, so he doesn't have much experience; but Shintaro thinks it can't be too different from chess, which he _is_ rather good at.

Yet somehow, _somehow_, Kano beats him to the corners of the board three times out of four. Kano seems always one or two steps ahead, even though he had the second move.

"What the hell," Shintaro mutters under his breath, after Kano places his last piece, when he leans back and sees that the board is almost completely covered by black pieces, save a few of his white pieces. He was _annihilated_. By a _freshman_.

"Practice, my dear senior!" Kano grins, swiping the pieces off the board to pack it away. "Let's play again sometime!"


	3. Third Wheel

Thank you for the reviews, favs and follows! Bless your kind souls uwu

And I think I've figured it out. I write drabbles because of my low attention span. Maybe that's why I like writing Ene…

* * *

Third Wheel

* * *

"-ke up! Master, wake up! Wake up wake up wake up!"

Shintaro groggily opens his eyes and stares at the beige ceiling. He is awake enough to want to chide Kano for bringing some girl into the dorm on the _second_ day of the year, but he is too sleepy to actually _do_ it. He only burrows himself deeper into his blankets.

His peace continues, until the voice says, "Hey Master, if you don't wake up, I've got all these secret files I can release to the world…" Shintaro's eyes bolt open, and the gears start to click.

"_Ene?!_" he yells, pushing himself up on the bed. Shintaro remembers that Kano is asleep, and he feels guilty for a moment when Kano rolls in his bed to face him with squinted eyes. He has better things to worry about, however, and Shintaro searches under his blanket for his phone.

"Ene, what are you doing?" he asks. He watches the cyber girl who came to his phone and computer through an email virus, her blue hair still in pigtails, still wearing an oversized blue jersey and white headphones. Ene pouts at him.

"_'What are you doing?_' Master, you ask that like I haven't been living in your phone for almost two years now!" The girl crosses her arms. "I do leave to go to Momo's phone sometimes, but only because you say I have to leave you alone on certain days! But I'm back, Master!" Ene pulls the string on a party popper made of pixels, and pixel confetti showers around her. "Did you miss me?"

"No," Shintaro groans into his hand that isn't holding his phone. "Pipe down. I'm sure Kano doesn't appreciate your early morning screeching."

"I don't really mind," Kano says, and Shintaro watches him sit up in his bed with that perpetual grin on his face. "Just curious who she is, is all."

"She's a virus," Shintaro says bluntly.

Ene is quick to pout and say, "That's rude, Master, you can't just go around and call computer programs 'viruses'! Anyway, turn your phone around, I wanna see your new roomie!"

Shintaro glances at the time displayed on his phone – 7:36 am – and deems it just about time for breakfast. He grants Ene's request though, and turns his phone to make it face Kano.

"Wait, so, you actually live in Shintaro's phone?" Kano looks at Ene, then at Shintaro, and back at Ene. "You're not playing tricks on me and this isn't actually like a FaceTime call, are you?"

"Nope, I'm a real cyber girl!" Ene says cheerfully. "What's your name?"

"Kano Shuuya, but you can call me Kano," Kano answers, still smiling. "So are you our third roommate, then?"

"Yeah, I suppose so," Ene says softly, as though pondering over it. "Yeah, that'd be great! Please treat me and Master well!"


	4. Four Cola Cans

Thank you all so much for the reviews, favs and follows! I'm really happy people are even reading this…

This chapter is more filler than anything. But don't worry, answers will come in due time. :'D

* * *

Four Cola Cans

* * *

Shintaro returns with a haul of four soda cans from the dining hall's vending machine. He unlocks the door to his dorm, with Ene yelling through his earphones about how unhealthy cola is.

As soon as Shintaro takes a step in his room, however, he steps on something sharp and rectangular and he feels it through his slippers. The pain is absolute hell, and a curse slips through his lips. Shintaro glares at the things on the wooden floor, which turn out to be Lego blocks in the tauntingly bright colors of the rainbow; and suddenly, the pain makes sense. He looks up at Kano, who stops in the middle of slipping on a black short-sleeved hoodie in favor of clutching his stomach in laughter.

"I'm sorry," Kano says in between laughs. "Lego blocks… the best thing, your face… oh god help me."

"Why the hell are there _Lego_ _blocks_ on the floor right in front of the door?" Shintaro says, gritting his teeth as he massages his foot. Ene's yelling in his ear – "Master, you stepped on Lego? Those things hurt, don't they? Good thing I don't have real legs!" – and Kano's still trying to get his wits together.

"They're booby traps," Kano explains, wiping non-existent tears from his eyes. "If anyone ever comes to steal our stuff, they'll step on Lego… I didn't expect you to come in, though."

"I said I'd _be right back_," Shintaro replies, exasperated. "I only went to get food from the dining hall."

"You can never be too sure," Kano says, shrugging.

"Trust me, you're more likely to get robbed by your roommate than by some other person," Shintaro explains, placing the cans on his desk with care. He turns to give Kano a look. "Right now, you're _very_ suspicious."

"I've been told that many times," Kano laughs. "You're suspicious, too, you know. Going out just wearing slippers is fishy."

Ene agrees and laughs in his ear, and Shintaro can't even defend himself. He doesn't think laziness will cut it as an excuse for the freshman; so he simply groans, flicks the ring pull of one of the cans, and drowns his throat in cola.

_At least soda won't betray me_, Shintaro thinks.

He promptly chokes on the soda.


	5. High Fives

aiiiie you reviewers! You followers, favers, readers! You're all super nice I appreciate you all thank you so much! ;A;

And happy birthday, Kano! My updates have nothing to do with his birthday, but I figured I'd greet him anyway.

* * *

High Fives

* * *

"We should have a special knock," Kano suggests when he enters the room after his afternoon class. "So we know immediately who's knocking!"

"Kano…" Shintaro turns away from his laptop to look at the blond. "How old are you, really?"

"What's that got to do with anything?" Kano grins. "You know you want a special knock!"

"Why the hell will I knock on my own door?" Shintaro's eyebrows furrow. Kano shrugs, and all Shintaro can think about is how he's _so done with this kid_.

"At least I didn't ask you to make a secret handshake," Kano says, almost muttering to himself. His face brightens, and the twinkle in his eyes that Shintaro saw on their first meeting is back. "Though that would be cool. We should have a secret handshake, like a special high five!"

"Seriously," Shintaro groans. "How old _are_ you?"

"Hey, my friend and I have a secret handshake," Kano says, raising his hands in the universal 'I-surrender' position. "Speaking of, I might make nightly visits to her dorm from tonight! So when I come back, I'll knock in a special way, like… like tango beats! 3-3-2," and the boy proceeds to clap in a 3-3-2 pattern, a grin gracing his face.

"I don't understand how your friend puts up with you," Shintaro sighs. He turns back again to his laptop, where Ene's engrossed in reading an article about artificial intelligence. "Suit yourself. Just don't come back in a bloody pulp or anything if she or her roommate beats you up."

"Aye, senior!" Shintaro sees a reflection on the screen of Kano saluting, and sighs.

He watches Kano leave at around 7 pm. When the boy pulls the hood of his short-sleeved hoodie over his head, Shintaro notices six white dots around the edges, three on each side of the boy's face. The white dots surrounded by black remind him of how he was thrashed by Kano in reversi, and Shintaro feels his eye twitch. Kano notices him staring in horror at the dots and winks.

"I'll be right back," he says, smiling, before leaving the room.

Shintaro has the urge to scatter Lego blocks in front of the door, so Kano can get a taste of his own medicine. He persuades himself that he is a mature senior, however, so Shintaro turns back to the chatbox on his laptop screen. He promises Ene to sleep by 10 pm, to treasure what little sleep he can get before the stress of finals comes. Shintaro regrets it when Ene counts down five minutes before 10, and when he ignores her and 10 rolls around, she closes the Internet window and forces the laptop to shut down before he can say farewell.

He goes to sleep unhappy that night.

Shintaro's even unhappier when he's woken in the middle of the night by eight raps on the door, in a 3-3-2 pattern, and Kano entering the room with a stupid grin on his stupid face.


	6. Sixth Sense

I did a double update (to celebrate today's Kaien Panzermast and possibly dead kids) so if you don't remember reading about tango beats you should probably check out Chapter 5. (:

* * *

Sixth Sense

* * *

The only reason Shintaro majors in music is because it's one of the only things that are unpredictable. If he majored in something like history, he knows he'll ace it for sure – he has the 168 IQ to back it up – and it'll be just another few years wasted. With music, the professors aren't biased, because "music isn't the brain, it's the soul" and Shintaro would rather take a cheesy major than a predictably boring one.

Or so he likes to think. If anyone asks Ene, she'll tell them the truth: that one day, Shintaro found a Kagamine Len, discovered Vocaloid, and never looked back.

Kano doesn't ask, however. He only watches when Shintaro pores over his music assignment, grumbles about ridiculously fast tempos, and throws the sheets onto the bed.

"I think you need some inspiration, and I have a solution," Kano says. Shintaro gives him a look; he's tired, but he's also desperate to get the assignment done, so he gives the boy a chance. "Play reversi with me!"

"No," Shintaro immediately replies. Why did he think listening to Kano would be a good idea? "Not ready to play against you yet."

"You're still trying to figure out my tricks, so you're not ready yet," Kano says, nodding thoughtfully. "I see, I see."

Shintaro wants to tell him he _doesn't_ see, but it would involve telling Kano the truth, which is that he's not ready to lose against a freshman again. So Shintaro keeps quiet.

"Well, we can watch the moon," Kano says, plopping down on his bed. "I don't know about you, but I like looking at the moon, finding all the little craters…"

"You," Shintaro says, turning to completely face Kano, "are a strange child."

"That's a no, then," Kano laughs. "Have you ever written any songs about Ene?"

Shintaro shrugs. "I don't even know who made Ene or where she came from. All I know is she's hyper, meddles with my files too much, and knows an awful lot about being human for a computer program." He looks at Kano, and the boy looks more thoughtful than ever, his smile faint and almost invisible on his face. Shintaro thinks it might just be the lighting, because when Kano looks back up, his smile is wide and exposes his teeth.

"How does this sound?" Kano says. "Ene used to be a human, who cared more for the virtual world of her games. She was popular and widely acclaimed, and some scientists found her and offered her a body that wouldn't need to eat or sleep, so she could focus more on her games. But, twisting their own words, they made her a cyber girl: one that doesn't need to eat or sleep, or even breathe…"

"That sounds ridiculous," Shintaro says. He notices that Kano's smile doesn't waver. "But since we're talking about Ene, it's not too bad."

"Is that what your gut is telling you?" Kano asks. When Shintaro nods, his smile widens. "Then I think you're better off never trusting your gut again, Shintaro…"

* * *

P.S. damn u Len.


	7. At Sixes and Sevens

I got some of the nicest reviews and I just. I need to cry. You guys are too nice how can you be so nice? Seriously though, if there are any errors, even something tiny like misspelling "dear" as "dead", please don't be afraid to tell me!

* * *

At Sixes and Sevens

* * *

It surprises Shintaro one evening when Kano doesn't visit his nightly friend, and instead lays in his bed, staring at the ceiling more often than not. Shintaro's curious, of course, thinking maybe Kano's been kicked out by his friend and her roommate. But Shintaro also realizes it's none of his business; and so it's only the hushed chatter between him and Ene that fills the room.

"You know, Shintaro," Kano suddenly says. "I never see you talking to anyone else besides me, Ene, a few professors, and the people in that chatbox you visit so much."

Ene stops ranting about god-knows-what – Shintaro had stopped paying attention since she jumped topics from minims to sunscreen in three seconds flat – and looks at Shintaro with actual sparkles in her eyes.

"That was fast, wasn't it, Master?" she says cheerfully. "The other one noticed after two months, but Kano noticed within the first fortnight! He's good!"

"Ene, you're not helping," Shintaro says through gritted teeth. He pushes himself away from the desk to face Kano. "You're right. I don't socialize. I keep to myself, even in class. It's worked for three years so far."

"You don't socialize? At all?" Kano asks, his voice almost cracking from his surprise. "No stereotype college drunk parties or anything?"

"That's why they're stereotype, idiot," Shintaro says.

"That's so sad," Kano says, not bothering to mask the pity in his voice. "We should visit my friend and her roommate right now. You need friends, dear senior!"

"You want to crash their room uninvited?" Shintaro asks, raising an eyebrow. "That's a bad idea."

"Don't be silly, they won't mind!" Kano's already putting on his hoodie. Shintaro wonders if maybe he left out a few words, that _they won't mind because Kano always does it anyway_. "Quick, put your shoes on! You don't want to look like a hobo, do you?"

"What makes you think I'm-" Shintaro stops short when he sees the look on Ene's face. She's already opening up folders, and he knows all too clearly what she's planning. Really, any look from Ene usually means blackmail, and Shintaro doesn't want to risk it. "Alright, fine, fine! Ene, stop!"

He watches Kano scatter Lego blocks around the door, and they quietly exit their building. Shintaro is more than surprised when they enter and climb the steps of one of the more expensive dorms in the college.

"Kido's from a rich family," Kano says, but doesn't explain further. They stop in front of a room with gold-plated "107" marking the door.

"Kido?" Kano knocks in the all-too familiar pattern of 3-3-2. There's no response. "Kido, we're coming in!"

He opens the door like it's his own, not even bothering to peek in to check. Shintaro barely hears a feminine voice saying "Wait-" before the voice is drowned out by the thud of a pillow hitting Kano smack in the face.

"I did say it's a bad idea," Shintaro says. He doesn't bother keeping the smile off his face.


	8. Behind the Eight Ball

In commemoration of Headphone Actor and quite possibly my heart being stabbed multiple times by the HaruTaka! Like always, thank you for taking the time to drop your comments and stuff! VIRTUAL CAKES FOR YOU ALL

I'm really sorry if I disappoint you with this or any other chapter though ahhh

* * *

Behind the Eight Ball

* * *

"It's like whenever I tell you something important, like 'wait until I open the door for you', I talk in a language you don't understand," Kido sighs, pulling on the hem of her T-shirt. Yes, Kano almost walked in on her getting changed. Shintaro's inner voice is screaming "Cliché!" but all he wants to ask is_ why didn't Kido lock her door_?

Kano laughs it off and sits on the computer chair beside the far window. Shintaro closes the door, making sure to lock it, and studies the room.

Being in Yen Hall, one of the college's more expensive dorms, the room is considerably more spacious than Shintaro's and Kano's – probably double in size. While they would be climbing over a coffee table if they ever decide to put one in their room, the center space in Kido's room is so large they can probably fit two two-seater sofas with space to spare. Even with the bright moonlight coming through the tall window, Kido and Shintaro can both still stand in relative darkness.

How can dorms be so unfair?

Kano waves his hands in Shintaro's general direction and introduces him as "the cola addict with a cyber girl living in his technology, also known as Kisaragi Shintaro." Kido's silhouette turns towards him, and Shintaro weakly lifts his arm to wave. Kido stares for an awfully long time. She walks towards him, and Shintaro subtly starts getting into a defensive stance, until he realizes Kido only wants to reach the light switch beside him.

Once Shintaro adjusts to the light, the first thing he notices is Kido's green hair. He's pretty sure it isn't even within college rules, and he wonders if this is the sort of thing rich girls get away with in college.

"Do you do a music course?" Kido asks. She's squinting, and Shintaro isn't sure why. Does she have bad eyesight? Does she expect to see right through him if she squints?

"Yeah," he eventually answers.

Kido finally stops squinting and, with a small smile, says, "So you're the 'genius with the theory but not the practical' that Professor Azami keeps mentioning."

Shintaro's jaw drops. Kano's clearly having a field day with the information, laughing from the corner like there's no tomorrow.

"Anyway, I'm Kido Tsubomi," Kido says after glaring at Kano for a while. Shintaro's thankful that she doesn't hold her hand out to shake. "Ayano – my roommate – isn't here, but I'm glad to finally meet you. It'll hopefully shut Kano up; that idiot never fails to tell us that he beat you in reversi, to prove some unknown point of his."

Shintaro whips his head around to yell at Kano, but he seems to have lost his voice, and instead sputters like a fish. The blond doesn't stop laughing, so Shintaro buries his face in his hands and groans.

"Sorry, I think that's a touchy subject…" Kido says. Shintaro knows she's genuinely sorry, but it doesn't change his shame.

"I don't like to think about it," is all he can say.


	9. Cloud Nine

I started writing this last week and then I watched episode 7 and I just got so pissed at everything… It took me about five tries until I finally got somewhere, but I'm still not satisfied with it, um…

* * *

Cloud Nine

* * *

The next night, Kano teams up with Ene to drag Shintaro back to room 107. Shintaro prays, to whichever god willing to listen, that it doesn't become routine.

On their way to Yen Hall, Ene chats nonstop in his ear, rambling about how proud she is that Shintaro'sfinally socializing. When Shintaro mutes his phone, Ene only un-mutes it, chides him, and keeps talking. Even the shower of raindrops falling on the screen doesn't stop her.

By some miracle, they make it inside the building before the rain starts pouring. Kano seems to be in no hurry, slowly strolling towards the elevator. Shintaro wonders if he knows he needs a key card to use the elevator; but when Kano takes out a white plastic key card, clearly marked '107', Shintaro isn't even surprised. Kido really needs to rethink where her trust lies.

As they get closer to the room, the racket from within becomes more obvious.

"Stop it!" Kido's yells are muffled by the door. "No, step away-"

Kano's eyes widen. He tries the door, and when it doesn't budge, he swiftly slips the key card in and yells, "This is an intervention!" as he swings the unlocked door wide open.

Kido's in the center of the room like a deer caught in the headlights, hastily pulling down the relatively short hem of her maid dress. A girl with dark brown hair, remotely familiar to Shintaro, stands behind Kido, tying the apron. If the girl's red scarf isn't a blinding sight in the dimly lit room, Kido's reddening face certainly is.

"G-Get out!" she says, just as the girl behind her tells them to come in. Shintaro would like to keep his life a little longer, so he stays at the doorway. Kano, on the other hand, willingly obeys the girl with the scarf.

"You look good in a maid outfit, Kido!" he says with a playful grin on his face. "Remember the last time you wore a dress? Weren't we around thirteen?"

"Sh-Shut up!" Kido shoots Kano a glare. "I don't want to remember!"

"You have good legs, though," Scarf-Girl says, almost absentmindedly. She looks up, seems to notice Shintaro at the door, and gives Kano a questioning glance.

"Ah, right," Kano says. "I've brought my roommate, Kisaragi Shintaro!"

"Oh, it's the mysterious roommate!" Scarf-Girl says cheerfully. "I'm Ayano! Nice to meet you, Shintaro!"

"It's not nice at all," Shintaro mumbles under his breath. Ene hears him, however, and starts playing one of his horrible first compositions – through his earphones, at least, thank heaven – and warns him to _play nice or the one with love lyrics will play on speaker!_

They don't talk about 'the one with love lyrics'; Shintaro tries not to _think_ about 'the one with love lyrics'. So he gives a quick small wave, and almost sighs in relief when the song stops.

"Actually, if you don't mind," he says, "I'll head off now. I don't want to rain on your parade or anything-"

"Nonsense!" Ayano cuts him off, beckoning him forward. "You can't go out in this rain! Besides, I finally got Kido to wear a dress, a maid outfit no less, and I finally meet you. You can't add any rain to _this_ parade!"

Shintaro opens his mouth to argue, but Kano's dragging him inside and Ene's opening up _the one with love lyrics_, and he realizes this tag team is one he cannot beat.


	10. Ten Percent Inspiration

DUMPS ANOTHER CHAPTER BECAUSE THEY'RE BOTH KIND OF BAD AND-

* * *

Ten Percent Inspiration

* * *

Shintaro realizes he can't trust anyone in room 107. He knows its residents only by name, Kano's still suspicious, and as much as Shintaro hates to admit, Ene's as likely to turn on him as ice is to melt. He manages to come up with a dozen different scenarios, most of them involving him being kidnapped and Ene being in on it as some form of revenge, or a twisted plan to force him to interact with humans.

Either his thoughts are showing on his face, or Ene can read minds, because she tells Shintaro to relax.

"Master, the whole world isn't out to get you," she says with a disappointed sigh. "For a genius, you're real paranoid, you know?"

"Shut up," Shintaro whispers. The room is silent, and when he looks up, he realizes Kano, Kido and Ayano are all staring at him.

"No one was really talking, Shintaro," Kano says, looking ready to burst into laughter any minute. Kido shakes her head and walks away, towards a door on the right – Shintaro assumes it's either a bathroom or a walk-in closet, and he kind of hopes it's the latter because he will flip if Yen Hall offers private bathrooms. He wordlessly turns his phone around so Ene faces Kano and Ayano, and unplugs the earphones.

"Oh, h-hello!" Ene says. "I-I'm Ene, the cyber girl in Master's phone! N-Nice to meet you!"

Shintaro doesn't understand how Ene can have the audacity to act _shy_. She sure doesn't stutter when she opens his password-protected folders…

"Hello there!" Ayano says as she leans in for a closer look. "You're cuter than Kano described!"

Ene lets out a small shriek, and Shintaro can imagine the cyber girl hiding her face behind her oversized sleeves.

"Anyway," he says, letting his hand drop to his side, ignoring Ene's yelps that _the world is spinning_. "Any good reason why she was in a maid outfit?"

"Ah, it's just… a hobby," Ayano says with a small laugh. "Kido was my model for the measurements, and, um…"

"Ayano would make _me_ wear a maid outfit if she could," Kano says, grinning. "She'd probably make you wear one too, if you don't watch out."

Shintaro takes an involuntary step back, and Ayano laughs, shaking her head. Kido re-enters from the hopefully-not-bathroom, clad in a T-shirt and pants that cover a lot more, holding the maid dress out.

"The side stitches kinda itch, and it's _really_ short," she says bluntly. "It's good that it's loose, though."

"Thanks, Kido!" Ayano replies, taking the dress from the green-haired girl. "I'll fix it up soon."

"Ayano has a thing for sewing, and origami," Kano says to Shintaro in a faux-whisper. "Kind of like your thing for soda."

"I don't have a thing for soda—" Shintaro tries to argue, but Ene's laughter stops him.

Shintaro notices Ayano giving him a weird look, before her face brightens and she rummages through a drawer. The girl hands him a paper crane, with uneven wings and too many creases, and welcomes him to 'the hideout', saying he can come back any time.

Of course, Shintaro swears to himself not to enter the room again, for as long as he can help it.


	11. Eleventh Hour

Eleventh Hour

* * *

"Bro…" Momo's voice is barely audible over the static. "Bro, I think Tono's dying…"

"_What?_" Shintaro almost screams. Ene moves towards the voice recorder, but he pushes her back with the cursor. "What do you mean Tono's dying?"

"It's like he has a cold, and-" Kano's 3-3-2 knocks drown out Momo's voice, and Shintaro feels a twinge of annoyance. "-there's tears in his eyes sometimes, and…"

"Have you even been feeding him?"

"_Even_?" Momo's voice is suddenly 20 decibels higher. "Isn't Tono _your_ pet? I'm busy too, you know!"

"Trust me, I would've taken him along if I could," Shintaro groans. From the corner of his eye, he sees Ene and Kano making communication gestures. "Have you been feeding him or not?"

"I give him the bowl in the morning and refill the bottles, like always," Momo says. "And then I leave for school. When I come back at night, half of the food is still there. It's been happening for a while…"

"And you haven't thought of, I don't know, _getting him checked_?"

"I told you, I'm busy too!" Momo huffs. "But I'm at the vet's now, and Ayaka says it's snuffles."

"What the hell is _snuffles_?" Shintaro asks. He hears a muffled snort from Kano, so he turns to give the boy a glare. His pet's life is literally on the line, and this kid…

"I don't know, but that's what the _doctor_ said!" Momo groans. "If you're so worried, why don't you come here? Then Ayaka can explain it to you herself."

"You realize the Tateyama's veterinarian clinic is kind of _really far away_, right?" Shintaro checks the time on the computer screen – 9:34 pm. "Why is Ayaka working so late, anyway?"

"I called, and she agreed to see Tono. Maybe because he's a regular," Momo says casually. "Anyway, Ayaka says she's willing to wait until 10 for you, so you better come!" She hangs up.

As Shintaro moves his phone away from his ear, he can feel both Ene and Kano looking at him expectantly. He has nothing to tell them, though.

"How the hell does Momo expect me to get there?" Shintaro mumbles to himself. "Does she want me to walk? Geez…"

"I have so many questions," Kano says. "But if you need a ride, I think Ayano might be willing."

When Shintaro opens his mouth to say _no, he doesn't need a ride from a girl he barely knows_, Ene gives him a look. She moves towards his folders, and Shintaro doesn't want to take his chances; so he agrees, confirms the room number with Kano – "Room 107, right?" "Sure is, social butterfly!" – and hastily makes his way to Yen Hall.

Ayano is quick to answer the door. Shintaro makes sure to refuse her offer to talk inside, and he briefly explains _his rabbit might be on its deathbed and could he maybe please get a ride to the vet clinic asap?_

As expected, Ayano is sympathetic. But when he gives her the address, the girl's face lights up and she says, "My mom is your vet? Sweet, you should've told me sooner! Of course I'll give you a ride!"

Well, Shintaro didn't see _that_ coming.

* * *

I have a terrible cold, I probably have snuffles or something. But I really enjoyed reading the reviews that came in ahhh thank you all so much! ;u; (I'll reply to you all when I feel less sick haha)


	12. Twelve Miles

I-I got it in before LTM, and before May ended! May Madness is over, but I'll still finish this story (still a long way to go, actually, ahaha)… Updates will be pretty sporadic, though. Not that they weren't already.

* * *

Twelve Miles

* * *

"I wouldn't have thought you were the type to get a pet rabbit," Ayano says, her fingers tapping on the steering wheel.

Ayano drives a small-ish red Toyota sedan, and she's one of _those_ drivers: the ones who drive faster than they look like they would, and faster than they _should_. Shintaro calculates they'll cover the twelve miles in only around seventeen minutes if Ayano keeps ignoring the speed limit.

"It was a joint decision between me and Momo," Shintaro finally says. He continues, almost defensively, "Rabbits can be pretty fierce when provoked. They're not just balls of fluff."

Ayano laughs a little. "That's right, I've had pretty bad experience." There's a pause, when Ayano seems to realize something. "Wait, so you _are_ Kisaragi Momo's sibling? The young idol?"

"That's the one," Shintaro says simply. "I thought Kano would've told you."

"He did," Ayano says with a small smile. "But with Kano, you never really know what's true."

Shintaro is about to agree and ask if maybe Kano is actually plotting to murder him in his sleep, until he remembers Ene is recording his 'conversation with a girl his age' and will most likely spread it on the Internet if he says anything stupid. So he stays quiet and lets the conversation fall short.

The window beside the front door of the Tateyama veterinarian clinic is the only one illuminated. Even though the gap between the curtains is narrow, it's like Shintaro's eyes are drawn towards his sister's face peeking from behind the curtains. She looks surprised to see him – to see him in a car, maybe; and frankly, Shintaro is surprised about it, too.

"You have a girlfriend?" Momo asks the moment she opens the door for them. "Mom will have a freakout-"

"I-I'm not his girlfriend!" Ayano squeaks from behind Shintaro. "I-I just drove him here."

"Where's Tono?" Shintaro asks impatiently. Momo points to the first doorway on the left, where the only source of light in the clinic comes from. Feeling slightly out of it – _of course they would be in the room with the light, stupid_ – Shintaro almost runs to see Tono again.

Inside the room, Ayaka looks up, crouching beside Tono, and Shintaro notices the bags under her eyes. Her smile looks more tired than anything.

"Tono's okay, Shintaro," she says. "Snuffles is pretty common with domestic rabbits, and a few doses of antibiotics will cure it in a month max."

Shintaro feels like he could cry there and then; but before he can celebrate his pet's survival, Ayaka gasps.

"Ayano, what are you doing here?"

"Hi Mom!" Ayano says, and breezes past Shintaro to give Ayaka a hug. "Shintaro needed a ride, so…"

Ayaka looks between Shintaro and Ayano, as though contemplating something important. She leans towards Shintaro, and her eyes scream of mischief.

"You better hope Ayano's dad doesn't find out you rode in her car with her _alone_," she says in a confidential tone. Ayaka's left eye twitches, like she wanted to wink but remembered she's supposed to be a mature mother and stopped herself.

Ayano starts shrieking something like "this is so embarrassing", Momo starts shrieking something like "I can't believe you're finally making moves on girls", and Ene's shrieking and at this rate Shintaro himself will start shrieking. He definitely didn't endure a twelve-mile ride with a girl who forces people into maid outfits for _this_.


	13. Unlucky Thirteen

So I've gotten feedback that the chapters are short… Well, initially, I had "interconnected drabbles" at the end of the summary (before I took it down because it sounded stupid after a while) and the chapters were drabbles that weren't as connected as they are now. So I guess what I'm trying to say is, these chapters weren't really supposed to be chapter-chapters, so they're _meant_ to be drabble-short. If that makes sense. I generally keep chapters around 500 words… Just thought I'd clarify that. uwu

Anyway, this chapter will probably be the last one for a while. I just realised how busy I'll be with exams ahhaah /shootsself

* * *

Unlucky Thirteen

* * *

Ayaka suggests that Shintaro take Tono to the dorm while he's on antibiotics, "so Tono can get all the tender loving care he needs". Shintaro wants to argue that it's against dorm regulations to keep pets, but Momo complains about being too busy to watch Tono 24/7, and Ayaka puts on that smile that no one can refuse.

With Tono in his arms, Shintaro says goodbye to Momo, telling her to 'work hard' and having the words thrown back at him in sarcasm. Ayano and Ayaka share a mother-daughter moment; and both Kisaragi siblings look away, neither of them wanting to interfere.

Tono is a sneezing wreck in Ayano's car, and Shintaro, for all his genius, cannot figure out if it's Tono's illness or if the car is just dusty. He wrinkles his nose and pats Tono – affectionately, he likes to think – and watches the buildings whiz past.

When they pass a petrol station, Shintaro realizes he should probably give Ayano something back for chauffeuring him at short notice. He searches his pockets for fuel money, before realizing he'd grabbed only his phone in his haste to leave his dorm. Shintaro watches Ene cheat in Flappy Bird while deciding what to do. Maybe he can trade Ene; Ayano probably won't mind that so much…

"Master, please stop looking like you want to eat your phone," Ene says. Shintaro's eyes refocus and he sees her standing in front of the score card – Ene scored 69, bless her soul if she has one – with her arms crossed in front of her chest. He's about to argue that he wasn't focusing and _he doesn't eat technology damn it_, when Ayano makes small giggle noises.

"Ene's very sassy, isn't she?" she says.

"Too sassy," Shintaro agrees. Ene makes a frustrated noise, but only goes back to playing Flappy Bird. Any other time, Shintaro would already be seeing embarrassing photos from his not-so-secret folders mass-posted on the Internet. He thinks Ayano's presence is a factor – surely even a _super pretty cyber girl _like Ene doesn't want strangers seeing her bad side.

_Yet another thing to thank Ayano for_, Shintaro grumbles in his mind.

Before he even realizes, the big white letters labeling his dorm as 'Dame Hall' is already staring Shintaro in the face. Ayano taps the steering wheel and declares it as Shintaro's stop.

"If you ever need a ride again, you know how to contact me," she says. Shintaro nods, and before he shuts the car door, Ayano grins. Her teeth are like mini-lights in the shadow of the car.

As he trudges up the stairs, Ene so kindly points out that he never thanked Ayano properly. Shintaro so kindly chooses to ignore her; he can thank Ayano another time.

When he's in front of the door to his room, Shintaro realizes he doesn't have his keys; and Kano, the little shit, isn't opening up no matter how many times Shintaro knocks. He sits in front of the door for a while, until Ene suggests that he should use Kano's special knock.

He feels like an idiot knocking in the 3-3-2 rhythm, but he feels like an even bigger idiot when Kano answers the door straight away.

"_Why the hell will I knock on my own door?_" Kano mockingly imitates him.

Shintaro picks up a Lego block, conveniently placed next to his foot, and wordlessly chucks it at Kano's forehead.


	14. Fourteenth Card

wooo I'm alive! But not for much longer, I think. I'm not ready for MCA's last episode. ;u;

I actually wrote this a while back, and the first part on the week Kaien Panzermast aired, haha.

* * *

Fourteenth Card

* * *

Sometimes, Shintaro would tell Ene to stay in his laptop and not transfer to his phone while he's at a lecture. He would return to his room and Ene would've meddled with a few things on his laptop, renaming folders here and there, but never anything too drastic. It's the only reason Shintaro likes lectures, because it's almost like the cyber girl knows how dreadfully boring lectures can be for him, and gives him a break.

It's different, though, with Kano Shuuya as a roommate.

After a few hours of listening to Professor Konoha drone on in his unnerving monotone, Shintaro returns to his room to see Kano on _his_ laptop, playing cards with Ene.

"What the hell are you doing on my laptop?" Shintaro asks.

Kano turns quickly and grins. "We're playing poker! Don't worry, I haven't looked in your folders, especially the one called 'don't you dare ene don't you dare'!"

"Wh-What-" Shintaro stammers. "How did you even log in?!"

"Now that's called revealing my cards," Kano answers in a singsong voice. He points at the screen, which is divided by a brick wall made of pixels, separating Kano's cards from Ene and her own. "I won't reveal them even to Ene, so I can't tell you!"

"Kano, hurry!" Ene suddenly yelps, waving her oversized sleeves everywhere. "The countdown's starting! Just ignore Master over there and make your move already!"

"Ah, sorry, sorry!" Kano says and turns back to the screen. "Anyway, Tono was sneezing up a storm a while ago. Are you sure he's not allergic to humans?"

"He's not," Shintaro grumbles, moving towards Tono's makeshift cage of paper and plastic in one of his old boxes. Besides the click of the mouse and the occasional 'hm' from both players, the room is quiet. Shintaro thinks it's a pleasant change, but also just a little disconcerting.

"Why do you have a spare key to room 107?" Shintaro asks, finally breaking the silence.

It's a while before Kano answers. "Kido gave it to me for emergencies."

"Emergencies," Shintaro mulls it over. "I doubt you keep so strictly to your word."

"I do so!" Kano says in a defensive tone. "Well, if I didn't…" – and the boy grins like it's his last grin and he wants to give it his all – "Kido's a very, very pretty girl, you know."

For once, Shintaro doesn't know the answer to give. _Was that a confession? What the hell do you say to _that_?_ He settles with saying, "I hope for your sake Ene wasn't recording anything," and Kano laughs.

"Ene, please spare me!" he pleads to the cyber girl. "Please spare me a beating from Kido!"

"I am sorry," Ene says robotically. "I have to keep trump cards! I make no guarantees—ah!"

When Shintaro looks over, Ene is drowning in green slime, while Kano's half of the screen is showering in confetti. Kano flashes Ene a peace-sign, and Shintaro knows the freshman has won another game of poker. Again.


	15. Fifteen Dollars

Bet you didn't expect this ahha! I didn't expect the reviews to come so quickly either, though. Thank you all so much ;;

A longer chapter, woo! I'm pulling out all the stops before the final MCA episode. 8D

* * *

Fifteen Dollars

* * *

"Geez, Master! What were you thinking, splurging so much on _soda_?"

"It's only fifteen dollars, spent on _much-needed_ caffeine!" Shintaro says. He defiantly takes a swig from his cola bottle.

"_Only_?" Ene pouts. She zooms to the foreground of the screen and effectively blocks half of Shintaro's music project. "You know what other things you can buy with fifteen dollars?"

"Leave me alone!" Shintaro groans, running a hand through his hair. "Even my mom didn't nag this much!"

"You can get a Nendoroid with change to spare! You can get two Petit Nendoroids! A limited edition of that light novel you wanted is on sale for fifteen dollars!"

"Hyouka?!" Shintaro is on his feet in a heartbeat. "Why didn't you tell me? Where's the sale?"

"Two things, Master!" Ene says, shaking her head disdainfully. "One, there's much more polite ways of asking! Two, even if I tell you, how are you gonna buy it? You just spent your money on cola that you spilled right there!"

"Wait, what-" Shintaro looks at the floor and, as the cyber girl pointed out, there is a puddle of brown liquid surrounding his now-empty bottle of soda. He hastily makes a run for the tissue box, all the while muttering about his terrible luck. How did he not realize when he knocked the bottle over? How do these things even happen?

"I can't believe you didn't tell me earlier," he mumbles.

"Oh, come on, Master!" Ene laughs. "I'm not an alarm clock."

_Says the one who wakes me up by screaming how late I'll be to my morning classes_, Shintaro thinks, but decides not to voice it. His project remains unsaved, and incurring Ene's wrath at this point would be the worst-

"Master, are you listening? Your debit card has only thirteen dollars left!"

"How did that happen?!" Shintaro screams. "It had more than sixty last time I checked!"

"Well, you bought that one limited edition Nendoroid," Ene says. "And remember little sister Momo's new single?"

"Oh god," Shintaro mutters, feeling his legs go weak. "I should've just asked Momo for a copy."

"Wait, _that's_ your issue?!" Ene says, the pixels in her cheek twitching. "Master, you can't afford to waste money on soda, you can't afford that limited edition Hyouka, and you probably can't afford your internet fees at this point!"

"No!" Shintaro crouches on the floor, holding his legs in a fetus position. From the corner of his eye, he sees Tono peeking over his makeshift cage, and his red eyes seem to stare straight into Shintaro's soul. "No, not the internet, oh god, no no not my lifeline-"

"Did I… come at a wrong time…?" Kano stands at the door, quickly taking in the scene. "You look comfortable yet not at the same time, dear senior."

Shintaro quickly picks himself up off the floor, and manages to knock over another soda bottle on his table. He quickly notes that the lid is fortunately still on.

"K-Kano!" Shintaro runs towards the freshman and grabs his shoulders on the spur of the moment. "Kano, can I borrow three dollars, by any chance?"

"_Master!_ That's so pathetic!" Ene chides. "Kano, he's an unemployed loser who wants your money for soda and a light novel that he should have just saved up for! Don't lend him money!"

Kano looks petrified for a few seconds, but it quickly changes to his trademark grin.

"Why don't you get a job? I think the Starbucks in Central Hall is looking for someone," he says. "I'll give you money if you get the job and I can rest easy that you'll pay me back!"

"Starbucks is so cliché…" Shintaro mutters. But he weighs his options, and the side of his brain that's far too interested in light novels overpowers his more reasonable side. He eventually agrees and falls back on his bed in defeat.

"I never thought I'd see the day," Ene says. "Well, commence the Get-Master-Enough-Money-to-Live-Plan!"


End file.
